The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-01-06


Spirit Of God. We bow down before him
Holy Spirit knowost thou this mani "oh,
yes" says the Holy One ~ know him.
and though sometimes he did seem TO repent,
he fell back again is often from his first es-
tate. Ten thousand times ten thousand has
he grieved me, although the Bible warned
him, saying: ..Grieve not the Holy Ghost.
Qqench not the Spirit Yes, he has
Tiveh mo back. Though l AN the
Third Person Of this Trinity, ho hts
trampled on my mission, dnd the blood OF
The atonement that brought with which to
cleanse his SOUL he sometimes despised' |
came from the throne of God to convert and
comfort and sanctity, aud yet look at that
man and see what he is compared with what
lnresisted l would have made him."
The eviden,e on the part of the prosecu-
tion has closed. Now let the defence br ing
IN the rebutta testimony. What have you,
OChristian soul, to bring In reply to this evil
dence of the world, Of the rn,rssiance, sf
the angcl ami OF tne Holy Ghostr No evi-
dcuees Are all these things true' Eyes.
Unclean.. unclean,n says every Christian
soul. Whati Do you not begin to tremble
at the thought Of condemnation
We have come now to the most interesting
part of this great trial. The evidence all in,
the advocates speak. The profession of an
advocate Is full of responsibility. In Eng
land and the United States there have arisen
men who in this calling have been hoiiored by
their race and thrown contempt upon those
who in the profession have been guilty of
great many nieannesses That profession
will be honorable as long as it has attached
to it such names as Mansfield and Marshall,
and Story, and Kent and Soutbard, and
William Writ. The courtroom has some.
times been the scene of very marvellous aad
thrilling things. Some of you remember the
famous Girard will case, where one of ouI
advocates pleaded the cause of the Bible and
Christianity In mastery Anglo Saxon, every
paragraph thundsrbolt
Some of you have read of the famous trial
in Westminster Hall, of Warren Hastings,
the despoiler of India That great man had
conquered India by splendid talents, by
courage, by bribes, by gigantic dishonesty.
The whole world had rung with applause or
condemnation. Gathered in Westminster
Hall, place in which thirty Kings had been
inaugurated, was one of the most famous
audiences ever gathered. Foreign Ministers
and Princes sat there. Ieers marched in
clad in ermine and gold Mighty men and
scene Amid all that pomp and splendor,
and amid an excitement such as has
seldom been seen in any court
room, Edmund Burke advanced in a
speech which will last as long as the English
language concluding with this burning
charge which made Warren Hastings cringe
and cover: II impeach him in the name of
the Commons House of Parliament, whose
trust h, has betrayed. inipeath him in the
name of the English nation, whose ancient
honor he has sullied imp each him in the
name of the people Of India, whose rights he
has trampled on, and whose country he has
turned into desert And, lastly, in the
name of human nature, in the name of both
sexes, in the name of every age and rank,
impeach him as the common enemy and op.
pessol of all
Rut turn from the recital of those nienl-
orable' occasions to 81 ander trial and have
to tell you that in this trial of the Christian
for the life Of his soul the advocates are
mightier, wiser and more eloquent. The evi.
dence all being in, Just ce rises in behalf of
the prosecution to make his plea. With the
Bible open in his hand, he reads the law,
stern and infexible, and the penalty: "The
soul that sinneth, it shall die" Then he
says: 40. thou Judge and Lawgiyer, this is
Thine own statute and all the evidence in
earth and heaven agrees in stating that this
man has sinned against all these enactments.
Now let the sword leap from its scabbard.
Shall man go through the very flames OF
Sinai unsnge1! Let the law be executed
Let judgment be pronounced. Let him die.
demand that he dis"
o Christian, does it not look very dark fol
thes! Who will plead on thy side in so for
lorn cause' Sometimes a man will be
brought into court of law and he will have
no friends and no money, and the judge will
look over the bar and say: SIS there any
one who will volunteer to take this mans
case and defend hims" and some young man
rises up and says: II will be his COUNSEL"
perhaps starting on from that very
point to a great and brilliant career;
Now, in this matter Of the soul,
as you have nothing to pay for counsel, do
you think that any one will volunteer! Yes,
yes; see One rising. He. is young man,
only thirty-three years of age. | see His
countenatice suffused With tears and covered
with blood, and all the galleries of heaven
are thrilled with the spectacle. Thanks be
unto God, I'VE have ali advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous
Q Christian soul, your case begins to look
better. l think perhaps after all you may
not have to die. The best advocate in all tho
universe has taken your side. No one was
ever so qualified to defend a man as this ad-
vocate is qualified to defend you. He knows
all the law, all its demands, all its penalties.
He is always ready. No new turn of the case
can surprise Him, and Ho will plead
for you for pothing as earnestly as
to His feet. Besides that He has
undertaken the care of thousands who were
as forlorn as you, and he has never lost a case
Courage, o christian soul | think that after
all there may be some chance for you, for the
great Advocate rises to make his plea, ho
says II admit all that has been proved
against my client. | admit all these sins, aye,
more; but look at that wounded hand of
mine, and look at that other wounded hand
and at my right foot and at my left foot By
all these wounds | plead for his clearance.
Count all the drops of my tears. Count
all the drops of my blood. BY the humilia-
ton of Bethlehem, by the sweat Of Geth-
semane, by the sutferings of the cross de-
mand that he go free. On this arm he hath
leaned; to- this heart he hath flown; in my
tears he path washed on my Righteousness IA
hath depended. Let hin go free. l am the
ransom. Let him escape tho lash, took the
scourgn gngs. Let the cup pass from him,
drank it to the dregs. Put on him the crown
Of life for have worn the crown of thorns.
Over against my cross of shame set his
throne Of triumph
well, the counse. On both sides have
spoken and there is only more thing remain.
ing, and that Is the awarding of the judg-
ment. If you have ever been in a court
room you know the silence and the solemnity
when the verdict is about to be rendered or
the judgment about to be given. About this
soul on trial, shall it be saved or shall it be
lost! Attention. above. around, beneath
All the universe cries. Hear! Hearln
The judge rises and gives this decision,
never to be changed, never ID be revoked
There is therefore now no condemnation 20
them who are in Christ Jesus"
"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for re.
pose,
will not, will not desert to his foes:
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to
shake.
I'll never, no never, no never forsaken
But, my friends, there is coming day of
trial i'll which not only the saint but the sin
ner must appear. That day of trial will come
very suddenly. The farmer will be at the
plough, the merchant will be in the counting
room, the woodman will be ringing his axe
on the hickories, the weaver will have his
foot on the troa1le, the manufac-
turer will be walking amid ths
olzz OF looms and the clack of 1yin. mo-
cnInery, the counsel may bs stantsng at the
bar, pleading the law, ths minister may be
pleading the Gospel, the drunkard may be
reeling amid his cups, and the blasphemer
with the oath caught between his teeth
Lol the sun hides. Night comes down at
md-noon. A wave of darkness rolls over
all the earth. The stars appear at noon day
The earth shudders and throbs There an
earth quake opens and a city sinks as a croco-
die would crunch child. Mountains roll
in their sockets ard send down their granite
cliffs in an avalanche of rock Rivers pause
I'm MI hos for ha nd